Many applications of animal cloning and genetic modification are
controversial for environmental, health, animal welfare, and social
reasons.

At least eighteen animal species have been cloned since 1996, when scientists produced Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal. Then and now, only a tiny percentage of cloning attempts produce live offspring. Many of these clones are unhealthy, and some leading scientists believe that none are "normal."

Nonetheless, animal cloning efforts continue. Some are justified as scientific experiments. Others are commercial ventures, either to produce pets for consumers or breeding animals for the livestock industry. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the inclusion of meat and milk from cloned animals (without labels) in the food supply.

Like cloning, genetic modification of animals is remarkably inefficient. It is being pursued for several purposes. Genetically modified (or transgenic) animals are commonly used in research. Efforts are underway to produce transgenic pigs as a source of organ transplants, transgenic fish for food, and transgenic livestock that resist animal diseases. In a practice sometimes called pharming, several mammalian species (cattle, sheep, and goats) have been genetically engineered to produce commercially useful human proteins in their milk. Fish engineered to glow in the dark have been developed and marketed as pets. Proposals to clone extinct species, particularly mammoths and neanderthals, regularly appear in the news media.

Reframing "De-extinction" by Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesMay 28th, 2015Beth Shapiro is advocating for a new definition of "de-extinction" that stresses the ecological niche over genetic identity. She envisages using novel creatures to change entire ecologies.

DNA Editing in Mouse Embryos Prevents Disease[Quotes CGS's Marcy Darnovsky]by Sara Reardon, Nature NewsApril 23rd, 2015“It is a bit of a slippery slope — if you start allowing any editing tool, you open a Pandora’s box of the possibility to edit anything.”

Hwang Woo-suk Reaches the Silver Screenby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesOctober 2nd, 2014A new movie opening in Korea is explicitly about how the notorious cloning and stem-cell fraud was revealed, though the names of the principals have been changed.

Free Dolly!by Jessica Cussins, Biopolitical TimesMay 15th, 2014The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that cloned animals cannot be patented.

Is it Right to Reverse Extinction?by Ben Minteer, Nature World ViewMay 14th, 2014It cuts against the progressive aims of science to say it, but there can be wisdom in taking our foot off the gas, in resisting the impulse to further control and manipulate; to fix nature.

DNA Dreamsby Jessica Cussins, Biopolitical TimesApril 9th, 2014The fascinating documentary film that explores the inner workings of BGI Shenzhen, “the world’s largest genomics organization,” is now available in full on YouTube.

The Mammoth Comethby Nathaniel Rich, The New York TimesFebruary 27th, 2014Bringing extinct animals back to life is really happening — and it’s going to be very, very cool. Unless it ends up being very, very bad.

First Transgenic Monkeys Born Via “Precision Gene Editing”by Jessica Cussins, Biopolitical TimesFebruary 6th, 2014Chinese scientists announced the birth of the first primates created with a precision gene modification technique, raising both hopes about new insights into human diseases and concerns about new attempts at human inheritable genetic engineering.

Cloning comebackby David Cyranoski, Nature NewsJanuary 14th, 2014Ten years ago, Woo Suk Hwang rose to the top of his field before fraud and dodgy bioethical practices derailed his career. Can a scientific pariah redeem himself?

China cloning on an 'industrial scale'by David Shukman, BBC NewsJanuary 13th, 2014Their cloning methods may not be novel, but the application of mass production is. And BGI has ambitions to sequence the genomes of a million people, a million animals and a million plants.

DNA Dreamingby Jessica Cussins, Biopolitical TimesJanuary 13th, 2014A new documentary looks at the Chinese company that styles itself "the world’s largest genomics organization,” and its hunt for the genetic basis of intelligence.

Epigenetics: From Heresy to Fact? by Jessica Cussins, Biopolitical TimesDecember 5th, 2013A just-published paper suggests that learned fears can be inherited through multiple generations and adds fuel to the fire of the controversial debate over transgenerational behavioral epigenetics.

The Clone Named Dollyby Nicholas Wade, The New York TimesOctober 14th, 2013This week’s Retro Report video tells the story of Dolly the sheep. The Scottish scientists who created her recall the painstaking process of trying to get the experiment to work.

Stem Cells Created in Living Miceby Heidi Ledford, NatureSeptember 11th, 2013Researchers have reprogrammed adult mouse cells to behave like embryonic stem cells that can take on a wider variety of identities, without removing those cells from their natural environment.

A Lab-Grown Burger Gets a Taste Testby Henry Fountain, The New York TimesAugust 5th, 2013A hamburger made from bovine stem cells was fried, served and eaten in London in an odd demonstration of one view of the future of food. The $325,000 project was paid for by Google founder Sergey Brin.

Cloning, De-extinction, and Possibly Human Applicationsby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesMarch 29th, 2013Synthetic biologist and entrepreneur George Church and cloning expert Robert Lanza are starting a company to change animal reproduction — and maybe human, too, but they wouldn't say that even if it were true.

Connecting the Neural Dotsby John Markoff, The New York TimesFebruary 25th, 2013In setting the nation on a course to map the active human brain, President Obama may have picked a challenge even more daunting than ending the war in Afghanistan or finding common ground with his Republican opponents.

Neo Neanderthal[With CGS's Pete Shanks]by Alyona Minkovski, HuffPost LiveJanuary 25th, 2013A leading geneticist at Harvard Medical School says he can clone a Neanderthal and resurrect the extinct species. What are the ethical issues, risks and benefits?

Safety of Induced Stem Cells Gets a Boostby Monya Baker, NatureJanuary 9th, 2013A new paper could renew hopes of turning a patient’s own cells into perfectly matched replacement tissues, though differences in methodology between the study and clinical practice have left some eager for more proof.

Tell the FDA: No Genetically Modified Salmonby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesJanuary 2nd, 2013The FDA released a "Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact" about a modified Atlantic salmon, but invites comments before a final decision.

Biotech's 10 Biggest PR Disasters of 2012GMWatchDecember 31st, 20122012 was the year the lights came up on the biotech industry. Its claims, its tactics and its products all came under scrutiny and some of its biggest PR fairytales bit the dust. Here are some prime examples.

Got Hypoallergenic Milk? Noby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesOctober 3rd, 2012Scientists have created a genetically modified cow that produces milk without a specific protein that may cause allergic reactions. But their achievement has been badly misrepresented, since its milk does contain higher levels of another allergenic protein.

Genetic April Foolery on NPR and in The Economistby Osagie K. Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesApril 5th, 2012The mainstream media is increasingly getting into the April Fools game. This year featured at least two established news organizations suddenly finding a sense of humor and using genetic technologies to, at least for one day, betray their loyal readers’ trust.

Should You Be Able to Clone Your Pet?by Pete Shanks, Junior ScholasticFebruary 27th, 2012In a debate with the CEO of a livestock-cloning company, Pete Shanks argues that pet cloning is a cruel deception that should not be allowed.

First Cloned Pet Turns 10by Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesFebruary 15th, 2012The first cloned cat was announced 10 years ago this week, but her birth did not herald a successful industry.

New Buzz around Biological Hazardsby Emily Beitiks, Biopolical TimesNovember 1st, 2011Recent reports highlight emerging biological engineering risks that might not be all that different from threats of bioterrorism, though the context of development surely differs.

Of Dogs, Clones and Rick Perry[Quotes Biopolitical Times' Pete Shanks]by John Farrell, ForbesSeptember 30th, 2011There's one dog cloning company in the world - and it's the same company that was involved in generating the stem cells Texas Governor Rick Perry had injected into his spine this past July.

Forensic DNA databases — without prior arrestby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesApril 12th, 2011Potential offenders, never arrested or even individually identified as suspicious, are now being required to provide the authorities in at least two European towns a sample of their (canine) DNA.

Gene of the Week: Christianityby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesApril 1st, 2011Gay scientists are reported to have isolate the 'Christian gene' and to have successfully removed it from experimental rats.

Europeans Want Regulation for Biotechby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesNovember 18th, 2010The latest Eurobarometer report on biotechnology shows that Europeans, in general, support medical uses of technology as long as they are carefully regulated.

Time to Clean Up After Cloning Cattleby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesAugust 17th, 2010The USDA is still committed to promoting livestock cloning, but recent bad publicity makes it clear that the technology remains unpopular, unnecessary, and unethical.

60 Minutes on “Resurrecting the Extinct”by Osagie Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesJune 2nd, 201060 Minutes re-aired a story about using cloning techniques to resurrect extinct animals like the mammoth and to save endangered species.

Mutant cows die in GM trialMutant cows die in GM trialby Eloise Gibson , New Zealand HeraldMay 1st, 2010Cows which had been genetically modified to produce human follicle stimulating hormone to be used in fertility treatments died due to enlarged ovaries.

Caveat Emptorby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesFebruary 24th, 2010Allerca Lifestyle Pets, the company that claims to sell hypoallergenic cats, may not be out of business after all, but it may be in trouble.

Hot Air and Cat Hypeby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesDecember 3rd, 2009Allerca Lifestyle Pets is getting out of the hypoallergenic cat business - if it was ever really in it.

Welcome to the Clone Farmby Karl Plume, ReutersNovember 13th, 2009Government approvals of meat from cloned animals have stirred controversy about whether tinkering with nature is safe, or even ethical, prompting major food companies to swear off food products from cloned animals. But consumers are likely already eating meat and drinking milk from the offspring of clones without even knowing it.

Hwang is Convictedby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesOctober 27th, 2009Hwang Woo-Suk, the notorious Korean stem-cell and cloning researcher, was given a suspended two-year prison sentence and three years of probation by a Seoul court on Monday.

Strange New World[Book Review]by Jeanette Winterson, The New York TimesSeptember 20th, 2009Margaret Atwood's new novel, "The Year of the Flood," takes place in the same bioengineered world as her 2003 work of speculative fiction, "Oryx and Crake."

Monkeys, Mitochondria, and the Human Germline by Jesse Reynolds, Bioethics ForumSeptember 18th, 2009The researchers into radically novel techniques display an alarmingly casual attitude toward risks to the potential children born, the difficulties and dangers of obtaining the large numbers of the required women's eggs, and the potentially dire social consequences of human inheritable genetic modification.

Would you like them with a mouse?by Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesAugust 3rd, 2009Japanese scientists report that mice have (almost) been fooled into making mammoth eggs.

Patriotic Puppies -- and a Prize!by Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesJune 23rd, 2009Another pet-cloning company emerges, with the same principals and the same gimmicks.

Transgenic Mice: Human, All Too Human?by Marcy Darnovsky, Biopolitical TimesJune 3rd, 2009How human must a humanized animal be before we begin to worry? What if our experimental creatures begin to display some degree of human consciousness? And once we're worried, what do we do?

Suze Orman Approves Dog Cloning. Reluctantly.by Osagie Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesJune 2nd, 2009Orman’s niche is to use plain-spoken common sense to berate people into saving money, investing conservatively, and living within their means. Which is why she had such a hard time with a call-in viewer who wanted to spend $100,000 on cloning his dog.

Public interest group urges caution in response to genetically modified primatesCenter for Genetics and Society calls for scientists, policymakers to reject human inheritable genetic modificationMay 27th, 2009The Center for Genetics and Society today said that the creation of a transgenic marmoset underlines the need for scientists and policy makers to reject human inheritable genetic modification.

The Neanderthal campaignby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesFebruary 19th, 2009Controversy about the idea of using genetic and cloning techniques in an effort to re-create Neanderthals.

There's no success like failure ...by Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesFebruary 6th, 2009Another attempt to clone an extinct species has failed, but been widely hailed as a success. Many more have been and are being considered.

Human Genetic Diseases in Dogs?by Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesFebruary 5th, 2009Dog cloning is a means to an end, say those who are selling it. Human-dog experimental chimeras are a more significant goal than pet replacement.

An industry-funded "awareness" campaignby Jesse Reynolds, Biopolitical TimesJanuary 30th, 2009The American Fertility Association has launched a public awareness campaign. Will it drum up business for its corporate sponsors?

And the Band Played Onby Osagie Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesJanuary 3rd, 2009In this time of economic recession, many companies selling luxury goods are having a hard time making the case to consumers that their services are still worthy of premium prices. The pet cloning company BioArts has tried to maintain interest in its service – which can run tens of thousands of dollars per cloned animal – through working the media.

Clones' Offspring May Be in Food Supply: FDAOfficials Say It Is 'Theoretically Possible' That Americans Already Eating Cloned Meatby Christopher Doering, ReutersSeptember 2nd, 2008Food and milk from the offspring of cloned animals may have entered the U.S. food supply, the U.S. government said on Tuesday, but it would be impossible to know because there is no difference between cloned and conventional products.

The Strange Saga of "Bernann" McKinneyby Jesse Reynolds, Biopolitical TimesAugust 14th, 2008The story of the first happy customer of RNL Bio's new pet dog cloning service is almost too outlandish to mock. But while cloning certainly seems to attract more than its share of eccentrics, a dismissal is inappropriate.

Dog Cloning and Intellectual Propertyby Marcy Darnovsky and Jesse Reynolds, Biopolitical TimesJune 5th, 2008In the minor flurry of stories last month about an on-line auction of dog cloning services, the issue of intellectual property was completely overlooked. That’s too bad, since the cloning business, like so many others, is best understood by following the money.

Toward Jurassic Parkby Lynda Hurst, The StarMay 31st, 2008The genetic footprints of the most threatened species are now being collected by the world's first DNA bank dedicated exclusively to endangered animals.

Cloning Alternative May Help Save White Rhinoby Roger Highfield, TelegraphApril 18th, 2008A novel kind of reproduction is to be used to help save one of the world's rarest animals - the northern white rhino - which is on the brink of extinction. The idea is to create cells from a white rhino and blend them with the embryos of a close cousin, the southern white rhino, to create an interspecies chimera.

A Day Late and a Dollar Shortby Osagie Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesFebruary 22nd, 2008A question following the largest beef recall in American history: Why on earth has the FDA approved meat produced by cloning?

First animal-human embryo trials to go aheadby Mark Henderson, The Times (UK)January 17th, 2008Experiments to create Britain's first embryos that merge human and animal material will begin within months after a Government watchdog today approved two research teams to carry out the controversial work.

Human Cloning Isn’t Monkey Businessby Osagie K. Obasogie, Genetic CrossroadsNovember 29th, 2007Rarely have science, politics, and international diplomacy converged as intensely as they have over the past few days.

Dolly creator Prof Ian Wilmut shuns cloningby Roger Highfield, UK TelegraphNovember 16th, 2007Prof Ian Wilmut's decision to turn his back on "therapeutic cloning", just days after US researchers announced a breakthrough in the cloning of primates, will send shockwaves through the scientific establishment.

Monkey Cloning Raises Troubling Questions Unconnected to the Status of EmbryosLegislation is needed to prohibit reproductive cloning and reduce risks to women who provide eggs
November 15th, 2007The apparent monkey cloning success at the Oregon National Primate Research Center gives new urgency to important social and safety issues raised by cloning-based stem cell research using human tissues, said the Center for Genetics and Society, a public interest organization.

Will Genetic Engineering Save Us From Ourselves? by Osagie Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesNovember 14th, 2007Japanese researchers have used genetic engineering to produce mice with altered olfactory senses. This obscures their ability to pick up on cat odors that instinctively suggest danger, allowing these mice to cozy up comfortably with their newfound feline friends without trepidation.

The Nobel Prize and the New Eugenicsby Marcy Darnovsky, Biopolitical TimesOctober 9th, 2007Not mentioned in the award announcement or media coverage of it are new Nobelist Mario Capecchi’s views on the future use of these techniques to produce transgenic human beings. In short, Capecchi is on record embracing the idea.

Food from Cloned AnimalsA Bait and Switch?by Osagie K. Obasogie and Pete Shanks, San Francisco Chronicle October 5th, 2007Californians should be allowed to know what they're eating. That's why Gov. Schwarzenegger should sign SB63, requiring food from cloned animals to be labeled. But there are other reasons to go slow on this unproven technology.

A State Bill Passes, a Federal One Stallsby Jesse Reynolds, Biopolitical TimesSeptember 14th, 2007A California bill that would require the labeling of meat or dairy produced from cloned animals has passed the state Legislature. Meanwhile, a federal bill to permit generic biotechnology medicines has stalled again.

China clones world's first rabbit from somatic cellsThe HinduJuly 24th, 2007China has cloned the world's first rabbit from the somatic cells of the animal, allowing faster reproduction of genetically modified rabbits for medical use, the state media reported today.

Pushing the Chimeric Envelopeby Osagie K. Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesMarch 30th, 2007It was reported this week that Esmail Zanjani at the University of Nevada has created the first human-sheep chimera, with 15% human cells.

Group blasts FDA plan to allow food from clonesby Christopher Doering, ReutersMarch 22nd, 2007The Center for Food Safety's report said the FDA's risk assessment of food from cloned animals used data that was "selectively reported to fit predetermined conclusions" and relied heavily on unpublished data from two cloning companies.

Center for Food Safety Takes Its Concerns to YouTubeby Osagie K. Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesFebruary 6th, 2007On the heels of its petition to the FDA to regulate cloned food product, The Center for Food Safety, has taken its battle online with a YouTube parody.

Spinning the Pollsby Pete Shanks, Biopolitical TimesDecember 8th, 2006Americans remain skeptical, at best, of biotechnology, especially when applied to animals. That's the lesson of the newly released 2006 Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology poll.

Mammoth Ribs, Fries, and a Diet Coke To Go, Please . . .by Osagie K. Obasogie, Biopolitical TimesOctober 26th, 2006South Korean scientist Hwang Woo Suk’s fraudulent research on human cloning is world famous, but his work in animal biotechnology - such as cloning the first dog - has remained largely untarnished. This makes ABC News’ report on Tuesday all the more remarkable

Calls for a Moratorium on Food from Cloned AnimalsGenetic CrossroadsOctober 20th, 2006A coalition of health, environmental, animal safety, consumer and religious groups has filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration aimed at the agency's pending decision on allowing meat and milk from cloned animals into the U.S. food supply.

How cloning stacks up[Quotes CGS's Marcy Darnovsky]by Gregory Lamb, Christian Science MonitorJuly 18th, 2006Ten years after Dolly the sheep, more than a dozen other species have been cloned - but not humans. What might the next decade bring?

Mixing animal and human cells gets more exoticby Paul Elias, Associated PressJune 18th, 2006"The mixing of human and animal cells in the name of medicine has been going on for decades. People are walking around with pig valves in their hearts and scientists have routinely injected human cells into lab mice to mimic diseases."

Key Stem Cell Researcher VanishesThe Chosun IlboDecember 1st, 2005"With one of the core members of Seoul National University professor Hwang Woo-suk's research team stationed at the University of Pittsburgh disappearing, emergency alert has been initiated because of fears of a possible leak of stem cell technology. "

The New Industry of Manufacturing PetsApril 18th, 2005Several companies are already involved in pet manufacture and sale, or at least in banking genes (or taking cash deposits) for future manufacturing.

Who is Behind the Pet Cloning Industry?by The Center for Genetics and SocietyApril 14th, 2005The most significant individual in the nascent pet cloning industry is the billionaire John Sperling. He represents the direct, overt connection between the cloning and genetic modification of pets and the potential cloning and genetic modification of human beings.

Pet Clones Spur Call For Limits[Quotes CGS's Richard Hayes]by Rick Weiss, Washington PostFebruary 17th, 2005Clone a cat, go to jail -- or at least pay a fine. That is the goal of animal welfare activists who announced yesterday that they are seeking state and federal restrictions on the small but growing pet-cloning industry.